Treatment of beet-roots.



L. DAUTREBANDE.

TREATMENT OF BRET ROOTS.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 21, 1909.

Patented July 22, 1913.

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0000 000000000 000 |0000 0000 0000 0000 0' 0 o :2 H0000 oooo l 0000 000OOOO O00 go oool I Inventor 1 114 330 Witnesser f y flttorney- L.DAUTREBANDE. TREATMENTOF BEET ROOTS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 21,1900. 1 1 976 Patented July 22, 1913.

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Inventor V y Witnessea- W (WW6 Attorney.

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TREATMENT OF BEET-ROOTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Ju ty 22, 191.3.

Application filed .Tune 21, 1909. Serial No. 503,356.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Laos: DAUTREBANDE. brewer, a subject of the King ofBelgium. residing at. Daussoulx, Belgium, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in and Relating to the Treatment of Beet-Roots, ofwhich the following is a specification.

Several processes have been proposed and certain patents have beenobtained, which have for their object to change the beet-root and itswastes into a more or less dry product by expelling the excess of waterwhich it contains. The product, however, thus obtained from thebeet-root contains the substances which are valueless from the nutritivepoint of view and therefore leaves much to be desired with regard to itsvalue as a food; moreover its powers of preservation are very limitedowing to its great hygroscopic qualities so that it cannot be useduniversally.

In the present process the skin is separated from the flesh of thebeet-root and at the same time the final product receives good qualitiesof preservation and a perfect friability.

The process is carried out in practice as follows and by means of theapparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 isa cross section of the washing apparatus. Fig. 2 is a cross-section ofthe apparatus for drying the beetroots while whole. Fig. 3 shows thecutting mechanism, and Fig. 4 shows the drying apparatus.

The freshly gathered beetroots or those left in bins for a while arepassed along a channel 1 filled with water out of which they are raisedby av Wheel 2 or other elevator and discharged into the washing machine3 in which the beetroots are thoroughly washed. From here the beetrootsare conducted by an elevator 4 and discharged into a hop-per 5 by meansof which the beetroots are charged into the drying apparatus (Fig. 2).The apparatus for drying the beetroots consists of a conical perforateddrum 6 (shown in detail in Fig. 2) inclosed in a brick-work chamber 7which is in direct communication with a furnace or hot air chamber 8.The beetroots enter the narrow end of the conical drum 6 through thehopper 5 and the hot. air or gases from the furnace 8 are brought intocontact with the beetroots which are moved slowly forward on therotation of the drum 6. The current of hot air or gases is controlled bya fan or the like 9 and the temperature is controlled by the admissionof cold air admitted through registers provided in the walls of thechamber 7. The entrance for the beetroots'into the drum (3 as well asthe exit 10 fro-m the chamber 7 are respectively controlled by dampers dand c of sheet iron or the like. In this manner the very thin skin whichis of a different composition and contains less water than the flesh ofthe beetroot, olfers the whole extent of its surface to the dryingaction of this high temperature, and is deprived almost instantaneouslyof the greater portion of its moisture, while the steam produced fromthe particles of water nearest the inner surface, causes the skin toswell and on the escape of the steam to split and separate from theflesh. The bro-ken skin then curls and shrinks up. and only partiallyadheres to the flesh. The gases from the chamber 7 escape through theoutlet 11. The bctroots thus treated are passed into a chamber 15 Fig. 4in which they are cut. into regular slices, by a rotary cutter 16 andare then dried slowly in a temperature which begins at about 50 C. andfinishes at 110 C. This apparatus is of the Huillard system and theslices are admitted at 17 and passed over a number of cones 18 providedwith scrapers 19. These cones 18 are mounted on a verti cal shaft 20which is rotated by any suitable means and are provided, with theexception of the lowermost cone, above perforated plates 21. The plate22 of the lowermost cone is mounted on masonry. The chamber between thelowermost perforated plate 21 and the plate 22 communicates with achannel 23 which conducts the hot gases. In the chamber 2 1 are providedregisters 25 for the admission of air. The uppermost chamber 26 of theapparatus is connected at one side to a suction fan. The desiccatingaction is ended when the slices contain ,t% moisture. This desiccatingaction is, practically speaking, completed on the plate above thechamber 24. The slices are then submitted to a cooling action byexposing them to a dry current of natural or artificial cooled air. Forthis purpose the slices from the lower chamber of the drying apparatusare charged into a chamber 27. At the lower ends of the walls of thischamber 27 are provided radiators 28 which are fed by a cold liquidcoming from a freezing machine or from any other suitable cold.producing means. The chamber 27 is also in communication with a suctiondevicewhich acts in the direction of movement of the conveyer 29 for thecooled product. This produces the following effect: The substance of thebeetroot having increased in volume with the increase of temperature,contracts when suddenly cooled and this causes the last partieles of theskin which still adhere to the flesh, to be detached in the first caseand secondly, compresses the cells and expels the excess of air, whichhas been introduced during the desiccating process thus giving a to thefinal product the maximum possible density, reducing in a large degreethe porositv of'the product, and avoiding the danger, inherent. in thehygroscopic state. in which it exists before this last operation. Inthis manner a substance is obtained which keeps indefinitely, and isperfectly friable. The pieces of skin still contained in the mass of thedried slices are separated by mechanical sifting and the product,consisting exclusively of the flesh of the beetroots, is obtained inanabsolutely pure state, ready for the different. purposes, for which itis intended. The peel may be'utilized by extracting from it, potash,'cellulose and other mineral substances.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1A process of treating beetroots consisting in washing the beetroots,separating the ing in washing the beetroots, drying the beetroots at ahigh temperature, for the pur-- pose of causing the skin to swell,split, separate from the flesh and curl so that the skin only partiallyadheres to the flesh of the beetroot, cutting the flesh into slicessubjecting the slices to a desiccating process and then rapidly coolingthe slices for the removal of the adherent portions of the skin.

3. A process of treating beetroots consisting in Washing the beetroots,drying the beet-roots at a high temperature, so that the skin swells,splits, separates from the skin and curls, and thus only partiallyadheres to the flesh of the beetroots, cutting the beetroots intoslices, gradually heating the slices from a low temperature to a hi htemperature, then rapidly cooling the s lees to produce a dense productand removing the adherent portions of the skin.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses. V

LEON DAUTREBANDE.

Witnesses:

FILVERNERT, JAMES MoG. FAY.

